The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1887-09-07
DEMOCRACY ROASTED.
Stirring Address or John Brennan mt
the Iowa Republican State
Convention.

without evoking from our Democratic brethren
the insincere and uncharitable taunt that We
are waving something sanguinary that we are
appealing to sectional animosities and rowling
the bitterness of twenty years ago. Our answer
is. God forbid. We join our Republican Lreth-
Of Ohio in the hearty declaration that we
have placed the war and it's hatreds behind us.
There is not in the convention nor ON the soil OF
Iowa, a. far as know, man who entertains a
feeling OF malice toward the people OF any sec
tiOn of our common country. The dearest wish
that animates the heart OF every loyal citizen
OF Iowa in respect to the war of the rebellion Is
To see the results and settlements OF that war
respected and observed, and 10 join our coun-
trymen in every part of the republic in achev-
ing the proud victories OF peace by contribut-
ing as best we may TO the prosperity and glory
of n reunited and inseparable nationality
We regret to think that contrary to our patri-
otto desires, there two distinguished Demo
Gratis "perniciously active in provoking the
unkind feelings which in us they pretend TO
condemn. One OF these gentlomt n is the ven
cradle Jefferson Davis, OF Mississippi, and the
other is Mr. Grover Cleveland, Chief Executive
of the Republic. While condemning the con-
duet OF Mr. Davis, in Justice TO nm be IL said
that by comparison with Mr.. Cleveland he is
entitled TO great credit. Though the venerable
ex-President will persist in assailing the laws
ana tho institutions Of his country though he
! will not be reconcied TO the inevitable, nor
comforted by the ascendency OF hissparty and
the peaceful triumph Of his cause, still TO his
honor be il said that in pursuit OF his purpose
| he speaks in the language of a man who was IN
! his youth IA soldier and gentleman. 1t is to be
/ denied TO the junior Democratic President
/ those gifts and graces which adorn his veneer
able brother. He is pleased TO depart from the
language of common deconcy in the vetoes is
sued under his hand in the high office which he
holds. For reasons uEaccountable no finds him
self constrained to consult n dictionary and to
borrow the language of the bar room, fos terms
vile enough TO be applied to the tottering
veterans Of the ever glorious army whose valor
III AIDE il possible for him to have u country OF
which TO be President.
1t was hardly consistent with pretended de-
sire to forget the memories Of the civil war for
the President to order the return OF the rebel
, battle flags lberality calculated to appeal to
| the fading memories of n lost cause well worthy
to be forgotten. All patriotic men will Join in
hoping that they shall rest in obscurity and
| peace, and pass into "innocuous desuetude" un-
der the whitening hand OF time. But We can
not help comparing his lavish kindness with the
memorable act OF a certain great land specula-
tor who, in the early part OF the Christian era
was Offering the earth through inordnate ambi
ton. II you will only fall down aud worship
me-" said he, all the kingdoms OF tho earth
/ will give unto thee" II you will only fall
down and give me another nomination, said
! Mr. Cleveland, and all these battle flags L
will give unto you" Unfortunate for his sable
majesty, he did not own Il title deed to an aero
OF the kingdom, and unfortunately for Mr..
Cleveland, he did not own title, legal or equit-
able. to n tattered fold Of the flags Well, he
did not return them and he will not return any
flags from Iowa while William Larrabee il
GoyernorD but he did arouse unhappy memories
of that fateful day in "a whom in the wanton-
ness of national madness. the people turned
aside from Blaine the greatest political thinker
OF the age in which he lived and from Logan,
gallant, stainless Logan, the idol OF the volun-
teer army, and turned their eyes TO Albany Tor
a President.
Aside from the penicious activity of these
two great Democratic statesmen, there is no
desire to excite unfraternal feelings in any sec
ton of the country North or South.
There is just one great question arising out
of the war that is still unsettled The right OF
this nation 10 be governed by a constitutional
ma ority OF the people-the right OF every man,
black and white, North and South, to freely
trTAa aVa1 60 hnT hat sTfa lFra "
counted and declared. We can overlook the &C.
casional burglary OF a box in Cincinnati,
Indianapolis, or Chicago; because IL is being
demonstrated that even in those cities there is
still sufficient political virtue to punish and
10 circumvent the boodler and the ballot
burglar. But when year after year il is sought
70 govern the nation by system OF political
iniquity that nullifes the will of majority,
the Republican party must call II halt Let mo
illustrate In elections for members OF Con-
gress where elections are free and fair, in
States like Iowa and Illinois, from 2S,0G0 to
$4,000 votes cast in every district. Yet the
State Of South Carolina has seven members of
Congress, elected by total vote OF less than
5000; and the state OF Georgia has n delega-
ton of ten, elected by total vote less than the
ballot cast for Congressman in the Fifth Dis
trct OF Iowa. The meaning and effect Of this
is that in our national legislation the vote OF
one Georgia planter is equal 10 the vote of ten
farmers on the prairies OF Iowa or Illinois
BY the perverted ingenuity of Southern genius,
the million colored voters of the South count
no more ut the llot-box to-day than they did
in the days Of their slavery. With the same
generous hand with which victorious North
gave universal suffrage to the conquered South,
il also added to the representation of the South
thirty eight members Of Congress and n cores
pondng power in the Electoral College. Now,
under the odious system OF which we complain,
not only does the black man not receive the
benefits of this representation, but, like the
figures on n checkerboard, IL is actually taken
from him and operated against him. IL matters
not whether they do IL 10y force or by fraud :
the result is just the same: That less than one
million OF the old slave-holding class govern
this nation of sixty million people; that in this
day of their power they treat with contempt
the veterans of the Union army; that they law
ish governmental fayors upon their favored
section that they defeat such wholesome meas
ures as the bill for the relief Of the Des Moines
Riverpand settlers they refuse TO admit Re-
publican territories into the Union; they fill
the diplomatic service and the higher offices OF
the civil service with men notorious for the
forgiven crime OF treason or the unforgiven
crime OF copperheadisna; while the great army
of Northern Democrats feeo upon the remnant
husks of fourth-class postoifces or pass in
mournful procession before the mansion of
their masters seeking the minor clerkships
suitable to a limited education
Surely the Democratic party does not C aim
title to govern by demonstrated superior =
pacity to deal with great national questions. 1t
has been in control of the House Of representa-
tiyos since 1875 with the exception Of single
term, and during all these years il has origin
ated not single great measure of national
leg station. IL has made several abortive at
tempts 20 deal with the tariff on imports. Yet
with majorities ranging from 30 TO 81, it never
framed a bill on this subject that did not die
an abortve death in committee of the whole.
1t has not succeeded in reforming the tariff
but il has succeeded, time and again, in dis
turbing the commerce, unsettling the manu-
features, and depressing the labor of the
country
The Democratic party will neither reform the
tariff nor lower the surplus. AS matter Of
fact, during the two and one-half years of its
administration, while il has not diminished the
expenses of the Government il has actually in
creased the surplus by s1eO, 100000. People ask
why the Republican party did not reform the
revenue reduce the surplus while they had
the power? The fact is that for twelve years,
except for n single term OF two years, the Dem
ocratic party have had the power of the purse
and tho control Of such legislation in Congress.
There is popular and Just demand for relief
from excessive taxation and the evils OF an
OVERLOOKING treasury; but, contrary TO its
pledges. the Democratic party seems incapable
Of dealing with these questions. Enlightened
and courageous statesmanshp would easily
solve the difficulties The Republican party,
without interfering with the policy OF protec-
tion, greatly reduced the revenues by repeating
the duties on tea and coffee and other neces-
|, sary articles. The Democratic party have il in
their power to-day TO reduce the revenue by
$50, OOO,0O0 annually, almost the exact measure
Of the surplus by repeating the duty on sugar !;
| but they dare not do this in defiance Of the
| sugar planters Of Louisiana, or thew would rup-
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